A refreshing, healthy and satisfying dinner for summer! I ‘ll be eating these Cilantro Chicken Meatballs over Zoodles all.summer.long!
We had friends over the other night for dinner and even though it was a risky move, I made something new + hoped for the best. And since my friend Jessie was there, I decided to shoot it real quick and had her be my hand model. Which means I photographed the food before we ate it…..which means I made our dinner guests wait….kind of the rudest thing ever.
I would only ever do that with friends that feel like family though so THANK YOU Jess. Besides, these Cilantro Chicken Meatballs over Zoodles turned out soooo good I couldn’t wait to share them!
And the Creamy Avocado Salsa Verde Sauce my friends is LIFE. Or maybe just gives these zoodles life. Seriously–easy, good stuff guys.
The chicken meatballs are the only *labor* of love if we even want to call them that. Promise they’re easy though. Even myself, who would normally just buy the meatballs, thinks they’re worth making! And the sauce only takes a few minutes to blend up! I might suggest doubling the meatballs and freezing half for later–they’re that good!
I’ll be doing that this weekend for some meal prep for next week! Speaking of, today is officially the last day of school for O. So gotta go celebrate summer! Happy weekend, see ya next week with something tasty!
Cilantro Chicken Meatballs over Zoodles with Creamy Avocado Salsa Verde Sauce
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
1.5 lbs ground chicken
1/2 cup oats (or other breadcrumb of choice)
1 egg
1 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 lime, juiced
For the Zucchini noodles:
5 medium zucchinis, spiralized
1-2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt
For the Sauce:
14 oz salsa verde (I use the organic TJ's one)
1 large, ripe avocado
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt (or light sour cream)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic
dash of salt + pepper
Garnishes:
extra cilantro
fresh mozzarella (i used the mini pearls)
Instructions
For the Meatballs:
Preheat oven to 250. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Combine the ground chicken, cilantro, oats, egg, lime juice and seasonings together in a large bowl. Mix with clean hands and shape into one inch balls. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 25-35 minutes or until cooked through. Clean hands thoroughly when done.
For the zoodles:
Wring any excess liquid out of the zoodles by wrapping a paper towel around them and gently squeezing out any extra water. Spread the zoodles out on a paper towel, gently blot dry and sprinkle with salt. let sit for 5-10 minutes
Heat a large skillet with 1-2 tbs extra virgin olive oil. Add the zoodles and saute for 3-6 minutes, or until desired tenderness.
For the sauce:
Place everything in a blender and blend until creamy. Add one tablespoon of milk or water if it appears too thick. Pour over zoodles and meatballs!
SERVE:
Divide the zoodles among 4 plates, add a few meatballs and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with additional cilantro and fresh mozzarella!
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